The gaming and toy industries have often been dominated by a small group of companies with the assets and marketing reach to secure shelf space in retail stores and online traffic. as we apporach the Pacman 30th Anniversary, the continued growth of the Toys-to-Life sector, however, is shifting the scales in favor of small businesses and solopreneurs alike.

Toys-to-Life is a gaming trend that incorporates physical toys into digital games. With the launch of Activision’s Skylanders occurring in 2011, the industry is projected to grow to over $8 billion in revenue by 2013. When other major names like Disney and Lego joined in on the toys-to-life movement, it seemed that this industry would also be dominated by major players. The opposite has been the case, however, as Disney left not only Toys-to-Life but the entire gaming industry earlier this year.

Initially, industry pundits were saying Disney’s exit was the beginning of the end of the movement. However, the emergence of several innovative startups in the space tells a different story. In fact, it would seem that Disney’s size and experience may have been what prevented it from innovating at the pace required by this developing industry.

Entrepreneurs and small businesses, however, are experiencing increased success in both the toy and gaming industries. Jia Shen is the CEO and founder of PowerCore, a company that helps make digitally activated toys and objects for gaming experiences. At a recent DesignerCon in Pasadena California, Shen and his team partnered with fellow exhibitors in a digital version of a scavenger hunt to demonstrate the potential for augmented reality beyond games like Pokemon Go.

Examples of Toys-To-Life Innovation

Reinvigorating Older Franchises

One of the key ways Toys-to-Life is impacting the toy and gaming industries alike is its ability to revive popular franchises that may no longer be in the spotlight. Shen shares, “In a recent project, we partnered with Mattel, Animoca Brands, and Super7 to create a line of character cards that activate powerups in the new He-Man Tappers of Greyskull mobile game. We do this by using NFC (near-field-communication) technology to make the cards scannable from the game.”

Integrations like these create intrigue for existing franchises by generating new and exciting versions of gameplay. Toys-to-life enabled games encourage consumers to collect the various characters or power-ups required for enhanced gameplay, making it easier than ever for brands to bundle toys and games that go together.

The Toy Blank

Another trend in toys that is giving small businesses an edge is the emergence of the Toy Blank. Shen explains, “Toy Blanks, also known as Toy Platforms, are becoming a sound way for brands to license their characters to companies who can produce and distribute them more quickly. Players like Funko and Lego are mainstream examples of how much demand there is for this kind of toy.” As licensed toys designed by smaller toy manufacturers grow in popularity, there will be increased opportunities for designers and manufacturers to collaborate.

3D Printing Enabling Faster Innovation

Finally, larger companies are turning to firms with 3D printing capabilities to more rapidly prototype both standard and digitally activated toys. One reason pushing these larger organizations to leverage startups with 3D printing capabilities is the complexity involved in the modeling process.

Most 3D printers require a significant amount of engineering or computer science expertise, which means to develop their own solutions most companies would have to hire entirely new, highly qualified teams to maintain any 3D printing efforts. The result is an increase in demand for 3D printing startups that can meet the needs of larger organizations.

Enabling Designers

All of these changes are bringing about mutually beneficial updates for designers, game makers, and larger brands. By partnering with larger firms, small businesses in the toy and gaming industries can access assets that would otherwise be unattainable. By the same token, established industry leaders can leverage the innovation and lean speed with which startups operate to create content and collectibles that consumers want.

Conclusion

The relationship between startups and established toy brands is a model for how other industries can innovate. Innovation moves rapidly today, and startups are frequently the ones driving that change. If established companies want to survive successive cycles of disruption, and if young startups want a boost in their early days, partnerships can be mutually beneficial.

Skylanders Balloon Photo via Shutterstock

This article, “Toys-To-Life And Gaming Industries Turn To Startups For Innovation” was first published on Small Business Trends

Powered by WPeMatico

If you plan to run a business in 2017, you need an online marketing strategy. And if you plan to up your online marketing game in the new year, you might be able to benefit from some advice from members of our small business community. Here are some of their top tips for upping your online marketing game in 2017.

Create Awesome Headlines That Convert

When creating content for the new year, you need to make sure you have strong headlines. Those headlines can draw people’s attention and help you ultimately gain more customers. Here, Hassan Ud-deen shares tips on creating headlines that convert on the Hardenbrook blog.

Get Customers to Trust Your Ecommerce Store

If you sell products online, then garnering trust between your business and potential customers is a must. If you’re looking for your store to gain some traction, take a look at this post on Getentrepreneurial.com by Megha Parikh.

Promote Affiliate Offers on Facebook

Affiliate offers can be a great way to increase the income for your business. And Facebook can be a great platform to promote those offers. In this post on the No Passive Income blog, Erik Emanuelli points out a few methods you can use to promote affiliate offers on Facebook. And BizSugar members comment on the post too.

Use This B2B Marketing Strategy That Works

When marketing to business customers, your strategies might vary from businesses that market to consumers. But there’s one simple strategy that you can use to increase your sales, as outlined in this post by Stefan Schulz on the Orpical Group blog.

Maximize Results for Your Products Using Technology

Technology can help you innovate and come up with new offerings. But it can also help you market and maximize results for those products. This Techlofy post by Nitesh Mishra includes some tips for using technology to make the most of your products.

Stop Trying to Innovate With Your Content

While content marketing can be a great strategy for all different types of businesses, some go about it the wrong way. In this Content Marketing Institute post, Marcia Riefer Johnston explains why you should stop trying to innovate with your content. And the BizSugar community also shares thoughts on the post.

Read More and Become an Expert Blogger in 30 Days

If you want to use blogging to market your business in 2017, then you need to become an expert blogger. And one of the best ways to improve your writing is to read more. This Process Street post by Ben Mulholland explains how you can accomplish that in just 30 days.

Generate More Comments to Your Blog Posts

Blogging is a great way to increase engagement between your business and customers. But if you can’t start conversations, then it isn’t likely to do your business much good. In this post, Ann Smarty of MyBlogU shares some tips for generating more blog comments.

Use These Resources to Up Your Webinar Marketing Mojo

Webinars can be another great resource for small businesses looking to gain traction online. And there are plenty of resources you can use to up your webinar game, like the ones listed in this Resonance Content Marketing post and podcast by Rachel Parker. You can also see commentary on the post over on BizSugar.

Drive More Repeat Visitors Through SEO

Repeat visitors are necessary for any business hoping to be successful online. And you can ensure some of that repeat business through the tips in a post about SEO by Neil Patel.

If you’d like to suggest your favorite small business content to be considered for an upcoming community roundup, please send your news tips to: sbtips@gmail.com.

Plan 2017 Photo via Shutterstock

This article, “10 Ways to Improve Your Online Marketing Game in 2017” was first published on Small Business Trends

Powered by WPeMatico